Grim's Top 3 (From E3)
The goliaths are done battling and the dust has settled. E3 2018 has come to an end and it's time for me to reveal my top 3 games I am most excited for from this year's convention. I will also disclose the one game I thought was missing from E3.
Gears of War 5
(Developer: The Coalition / Release Date: 2019)
I was in disbelief when Gears of War 5 dropped during Microsoft's E3 presentation. It's been a little over a year and a half since Gears of War 4 released, so getting a teaser trailer at this year's E3 was going to be amazing, then my jaw hit the ground; it wasn't a teaser trailer at all, it was actual gameplay! I watched as Kate continues her journey to find out what is happening to her, and the connections between her bloodline and the locust. JD Fenix and Marcus Fenix seem to head on their own journey, so only time will tell if we are heading down a new Kate only adventure or if this is a split story that meets up at the end of Gears of War 5.
Without giving anything else away about the Gears of War 4/5 story line, I will simply say the trailer/gameplay was amazing and all I want is to play and get answers to what is happening. The Coalition delivered, with Gears of War 4 proving they could handle one of my all time favorite series and now with this new trailer, I can not wait to play Gears of War 5.
Anthem
(Developer: Bioware / Release Date: Feb 22, 2019)
Anthem surprised us all at E3 2017: a new IP from Bioware, the developer of Mass Effect, Dragon Age, Knights of the Old Republic (the list goes on and on). Needless to say, an all-new IP from a developer of this caliber is exciting. In the last year we have learned little about Anthem besides that it's an open-world, third person shooter, and it looks awesome! Fast forward to E3 2018: we are eagerly awaiting new information about Anthem. Bioware takes the stage at EA's E3 presentation and drops all new gameplay showing us a 4 player mission that leads us to an end battle with a giant poisonous crab-like monster. The session ends, and I scream, "I NEED MORE!" We don't get any more gameplay, but we do get new information about how the shared world will have multiplayer functionality; it will be balanced with single player progression, with the heart of a Bioware story. Being an EA product begs the question, "How will the Loot box system work?" The response was the best thing I have heard in a long time, there will be no loot box system! There will be some cosmetic micro-transactions if you want to buy some custom skins, but you will know what you are paying for, and there will be absolutely zero pay-to-win systems in Anthem. Bioware made me a very happy fan, but they also left me wanting more. Now I wait to see if I get selected for beta access. February 22nd, 2019 can't come soon enough.
Division 2
(Developer: Massive Entertainment / Release Date: March 15th, 2019)
I knew the Division 2 was coming to E3 thanks to a teaser trailer launching a few weeks before the convention. But I had no idea how amazing the announcement would end up being. Starting with the Microsoft presentation, we learn the Division 2 will take place in Washington D.C. and the virus has spread to our capital. The visuals are stunning, the gameplay looks like what we love from the first game with some very nice enhancements; overall it was a great demonstration of the Snowdrop engine. At the end of the trailer, we get a release date of March 15th, 2019. Then just when you don't think it can get any better, Ubisoft has their presentation and shows off more about Division 2, including a revamped UI, allowing for fast load-out changes and a much cleaner design, oh, and 8 player raids! I cannot wait to get 7 of my buddies together to run some of these crazy raids.
The beginning of 2019 is loaded with great looking games and I am starting to get concerned about having enough time to play them all. These are my top 3 games I'm most excited for coming out of E3 2018.
Now, E3 is never perfect, so here is my number 1 game that was missing from E3 2018.
Metroid Prime 4
(Developer: Bandai Namco Studios Singapore / Release Date: ???)
If you know me even a little, you know Metroid is my all time favorite gaming franchise. So when Nintendo announced last year that Metroid Prime 4 was in development, I about fainted due to screaming from excitement. After I recovered from lack of oxygen, it was over, a short and simple trailer showing nothing but a logo in space and some classic Metroid music. I could not wait for 2018 to see a cinematic trailer, maybe even some gameplay, but 2018 E3 came and went with no mention of Metroid Prime 4. How could Nintendo do this? What's wrong with Metroid Prime 4? Why does Nintendo enjoy torturing me?
Turns out Metroid Prime 4 is fine and still in development, but Nintendo decided to go back to the status quo. Nintendo's business method is that they talk about what is ready to be talked about; last year the Nintendo Switch was new and not much was ready to be announced so they talked about the future (i.e. Metroid Prime 4). This year, Nintendo was back in form, showing off only what is ready to be talked about: Super Smash Bros. I do understand their thinking behind this; the problem is, you launched a new console last year, gaining millions of returning fans, but more importantly, millions of new fans that do not understand your Nintendo ways. So instead of being consistent, you now look like a company that teases by dangling a carrot, only to pull that away and throw a rock at our faces. We will get our Metroid Prime 4 update eventually, but this was my E3 2018 disappointment. The Nintendo I saw at E3 2017 was what I hoped we would see for a long time to come, but it was simply a small flash and then back to business as normal.
Let me know below your favorite games announced at E3 and join the Discord to continue the conversation. For more coverage on E3 2018, take a listen to the podcast coverage from the GameZilla Podcast. I hope everyone enjoyed E3 2018, and until next year, GAME ON!